Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My issue is the inconsistent application of the rules. If it’s an honest mistake, then so be it, but there should be an effort to scrub the line-up. Otherwise, you are giving some kids opportunities that other kids aren’t being given. And let’s be real - there are definitely parents on my team who conveniently forget the rules when it comes to securing a meet spot, especially the week before Divisionals. For the PP who says if a swimmer isn’t legal in anything else, then let them swim - this also doesn’t seem fair to me. Why is it ok for a kid to be kept out of events when their teammate isn’t simply because she happens to be legal in other strokes?

Just please tell me as one of the people who is tasked with “scrubbing the line-up” that you are stepping up to take on many many tasks for the team. I spend hours of time doing work behind the scenes for our team (and am mostly happy to do it) but stuff like this falls through the cracks, and it’s not because we are playing favorites. It’s because we have 6000 other things to take care of, and not enough people to help

I feel the same as PP and I am someone who helps a lot. Have also spent hours behind the scenes in addition to on deck. Our last B meet was cancelled, but I saw the meet program before that happened, and a few kids were signed up for more strokes than the max number allowed as instructed to us at the time of signups. Based on who had done this it definitely seemed like certain families trying to game the system to get their kid extra swims before divisionals. I was fully prepared to ask them to deck seed one of my kids in an additional event while pointing out what I saw in the program. I don’t feel bad at all about this because of the amount that I do help. I hardly ever get to even watch my own kids swim. I can see people who are less involved feeling more reluctant to speak up, which is unfair. I don’t blame the people working the meet at all — it’s 100% certain parents knowing that the people running the meet are too busy to notice something like this and taking advantage.

Anonymous wrote:I have felt like the OP before. I have definitely seen favoritism for certain swimmers/families in MCSL summer swim and RMSC. At our pool it feels like the kids with parents on the swim team Committee get to break all the rules.

Such as what? What rules are they allowed to break?

Anonymous wrote:
My issue is the inconsistent application of the rules. If it’s an honest mistake, then so be it, but there should be an effort to scrub the line-up. Otherwise, you are giving some kids opportunities that other kids aren’t being given. And let’s be real - there are definitely parents on my team who conveniently forget the rules when it comes to securing a meet spot, especially the week before Divisionals. For the PP who says if a swimmer isn’t legal in anything else, then let them swim - this also doesn’t seem fair to me. Why is it ok for a kid to be kept out of events when their teammate isn’t simply because she happens to be legal in other strokes?

Just please tell me as one of the people who is tasked with “scrubbing the line-up” that you are stepping up to take on many many tasks for the team. I spend hours of time doing work behind the scenes for our team (and am mostly happy to do it) but stuff like this falls through the cracks, and it’s not because we are playing favorites. It’s because we have 6000 other things to take care of, and not enough people to help

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is your issue with them being in the pool or getting ribbons? We make people who got ribbons in an A meet to not allow them to swim them at the next B meet and they also swim X (exhibition) meaning they get times but no ribbons.

It sounds like OP’s issue is that other kids are (unfairly) getting extra chances to improve upon their times for divisionals.

This. This is how it appears anyway. My kid isn't close to A meets or divisionals so I don't personally care, but I can see how this would bother people who are on the line. It might also help if someone explained the rules or explained about the exhibition process. People who aren't fully immersed in swimming might not understand what's going on and that can lead to conspiracy theories.

Anonymous wrote:OP is your issue with them being in the pool or getting ribbons? We make people who got ribbons in an A meet to not allow them to swim them at the next B meet and they also swim X (exhibition) meaning they get times but no ribbons.

It sounds like OP’s issue is that other kids are (unfairly) getting extra chances to improve upon their times for divisionals.

Anonymous wrote:I have felt like the OP before. I have definitely seen favoritism for certain swimmers/families in MCSL summer swim and RMSC. At our pool it feels like the kids with parents on the swim team Committee get to break all the rules.

Then be on the committee - trust me those committee members don't want to be in that role but are forced to because so many families do not volunteer and just sit back and complain.

Anonymous wrote:OP is your issue with them being in the pool or getting ribbons? We make people who got ribbons in an A meet to not allow them to swim them at the next B meet and they also swim X (exhibition) meaning they get times but no ribbons.

My issue is the inconsistent application of the rules. If it’s an honest mistake, then so be it, but there should be an effort to scrub the line-up. Otherwise, you are giving some kids opportunities that other kids aren’t being given. And let’s be real - there are definitely parents on my team who conveniently forget the rules when it comes to securing a meet spot, especially the week before Divisionals. For the PP who says if a swimmer isn’t legal in anything else, then let them swim - this also doesn’t seem fair to me. Why is it ok for a kid to be kept out of events when their teammate isn’t simply because she happens to be legal in other strokes?

OP is your issue with them being in the pool or getting ribbons? We make people who got ribbons in an A meet to not allow them to swim them at the next B meet and they also swim X (exhibition) meaning they get times but no ribbons.

Yep I've seen this rule broken at my mcsl pool as well. It's annoying because had we known it was allowed we might have signed up too.

Why even have the rule if it's not enforced?

I have felt like the OP before. I have definitely seen favoritism for certain swimmers/families in MCSL summer swim and RMSC. At our pool it feels like the kids with parents on the swim team Committee get to break all the rules.

Anonymous wrote:I would say something.

As a team rep I don't always have the energy to police B meet entries. There may also be a valid reason they are swimming- working on something? But should not be eligible for a first place ribbon.

Could be an innocent mistake. We don’t allow anyone who scored a point at the A meet to swim that event at the following B meet. My kid won his first point in breast bc a faster kid DQ’ed and I forgot about the rule and he swam it the next Wednesday. (And placed seventh out of eight swimmers! So he hardly smoked the other kids but if I have remembered I wouldnt have signed him up.).

Why are you assuming nefarious schemes when forgetfulness or honest mistake could cover it?

Also, automation will let you join B meets last minute if appropriate for something like this.

Is it the last meet of the season? Our nvsl team makes an exception for the last meet of the season before divisionals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would ask for clarification. The only scenario where we allow this is for kids who aren't legal in anything else. We don't permit kids to swim in a meet until they're legal, so if they can't swim free or back due to A meet, then we let them swim those strokes again at the following B meet. Otherwise, they'd be kept out of the meet.
If the coaches are letting people get extra chances to qualify for Divisionals, that feels unfair to other swimmers on the team that only get one chance/week. It may also violate the rules of your B meet league, if you're part of one.

Events are free and back stroke, and swimmers placed second or third on Saturday, so no issue of legality. It feels to me like coach wants to give them an extra shot at Divisionals (over DC btw) but then am afraid maybe I’m being paranoid?

He did not respond to your inquiry, thus, confirming your suspicion.

Why didn't you copy the team rep?

OP - My take is that our reps don’t really push back on our coach and coach really runs the show.

That's how the team _should_ be run. Reps shouldn't be seeding meets. Ask the coach again, even directly at practice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would ask for clarification. The only scenario where we allow this is for kids who aren't legal in anything else. We don't permit kids to swim in a meet until they're legal, so if they can't swim free or back due to A meet, then we let them swim those strokes again at the following B meet. Otherwise, they'd be kept out of the meet.
If the coaches are letting people get extra chances to qualify for Divisionals, that feels unfair to other swimmers on the team that only get one chance/week. It may also violate the rules of your B meet league, if you're part of one.

Events are free and back stroke, and swimmers placed second or third on Saturday, so no issue of legality. It feels to me like coach wants to give them an extra shot at Divisionals (over DC btw) but then am afraid maybe I’m being paranoid?

That’s my point. Some kids can only swim free and back legally. So if they swam those in A meet, and they aren’t able to swim breast or fly, they wouldn’t be able to swim at all in the B meet, hence they allow them to swim free and back again.

Our MCSL team doesn’t have any restrictions for B meets, but I wish they did. And my DCs are A meet swimmers.